Joseph Alex Frissora joined the Sandler Family Campus late last year as Facilities Director, working with Glenn Saucier until his retirement in December.
Prior to joining the Sandler Family Campus, Frissora spent 14 years with the United States Coast Guard, where, in addition to serving in an active-duty capacity, he held a wide range of roles. “I started off as a technician, completely hands on, working on ships where maintenance is a whole different world compared to a land based facility. As I progressed in my career, I took on more responsibility and leadership,” says Frissora.
Eventually, Frissora moved into command-level roles where he managed budgets, departments, boats, and multiple facilities — all while supporting a very high operational tempo. “The Coast Guard’s primary mission is life saving, so even while managing infrastructure, I was balancing that with operational readiness and mission execution,” he says.
“Working on this campus is obviously a different environment, but a lot of the core skills translate directly: leadership, planning, being proactive, and making sure people have a safe and reliable place to do their work,” says Frissora. “The biggest difference is that now I get to focus fully on supporting a community instead of supporting an operational mission, and I’m really enjoying that shift.”
His goal for the Sandler Family Campus, he says, is to “maintain the high standard of excellence we already have here. This campus is an amazing place for families and our members, and I’m committed to keeping it that way while continuing to improve wherever we can. I plan to use the feedback and input we receive from our community to make sure we’re always meeting their needs.”
Frissora says he focuses on a proactive approach to maintenance and leadership, rather than waiting for things to break or become issues. By staying ahead of potential problems, he says, “we can ensure our members always have the best facilities possible.”
The Shrewsbury, Mass. native and his family (wife, Kellie; daughters, Sawyer and Peyton; and son, Declan) arrived in Virginia Beach in August 2025 with the Coast Guard and decided to stay when he left the service.
“One of the things I really like about this area is the balance it offers — it has the feel of a close, welcoming community, but it’s also surrounded by everything you could want: the ocean, great food, and plenty of places to explore. I also really appreciate the climate. We still get all four seasons, but none of them are too extreme. It’s a good middle ground, and it makes the area an easy and enjoyable place to live and work,” he says.